OK People,
Thought I'd put up a cyber Shabbat table for this thread. If you want to share a word of Torah, a song, a discussion on the week's events, a poem, any personal word of encouragement, a request for prayer or anything else you'd like to talk about here is your space.
I have two poems to share, written by Judah ha-Levi, a Sephardi Rabbi, Philosopher and Poet of 12th century Sephard (Spain), which I find in spirit is closest to my Orthodox Judaism than anything that comes out of the Haredi leadership -
"Cups without wine are low things
I have two poems to share, written by Judah ha-Levi, a Sephardi Rabbi, Philosopher and Poet of 12th century Sephard (Spain), which I find in spirit is closest to my Orthodox Judaism than anything that comes out of the Haredi leadership -
"Cups without wine are low things
Like a pot thrown to the ground,
But brimming with the juice, they shine
Like body and soul."
********
********
"Awake, my fair, my love, awake,
So that I may gaze upon you!
And if one is eager to kiss your lips,
In your dreams this do you see,
Lo, then I myself of your dream
The interpreter will be."
Shabbat Shalom!
PS -for some reason I've got this Blur song in my head! Haven't heard it since university, way back in 1995, until I fished it out on the net, just -
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIEsmGzo2UE
SHABAT SHALOM everyone!!! :D
ReplyDeleteSHABBAT SHALOM FROM ISRAEL TO ALL FRIENDS AROUND THE WORLD.
ReplyDeleteHi Esther,
ReplyDeleteCan't imagine my older sis on a dance floor, but I guess you did :)!!
Hi Esther,
ReplyDeleteThanks for opening this thread. We're just making cheese cake and other stuff for Shavout ! Hope everything is OK over your way. Will be back laters!!
This one is a laugh (despite the post earlier on in the week)-
ReplyDelete"All the people ,so many peopleee
ReplyDeleteThey all go hand in hand hand
in hand through
their parklife "
Brilliant !
Oh and if we are going for '90's cheese, there's no better than steps!! -
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiwDHHcHPh0
I like the poems. The Sephardim are so sensual and don't hold their feelings back..
ReplyDeleteAnyways that our cheese cake done. Looking forward to doing Blintzes, Khai & siete cielos before Tuesday!!
ReplyDeleteRecipe -
Ingredients:
100 grams butter, room temperature
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon decaffinated coffee
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3 eggs
750 grams Israeli white cheese (Gevina Levana)
1 cup sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 containers sour cream
1 packet vanilla sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). Spray a 9x13 cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, combine butter, egg yolks, coffee, sugar and flour with your hands until crumbly. Press into cake pan as base for the cake.
3. In a bowl, combine eggs, white cheese, sugar, vanilla sugar and flour. Pour on top of cake base.
4. Bake 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius) for 30 minutes or until cheese does not wiggle. Remove and cool for 30 minutes.
5. Turn oven temperature down to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (90 degrees Celsius).
6. In a small bowl, mix sour cream with vanilla sugar and sugar. Spread over cooled cake.
7. Bake at 200 degrees Fahrenheit (90 degrees Celsius) for 20 minutes.
8. Refrigerate.
"I like the poems. The Sephardim are so sensual and don't hold their feelings back."
ReplyDeleteYep, aren't we just!!
Hi Paul,
ReplyDeleteOf course we are! (:
Hiya Esther,
ReplyDeleteU know, you should really think about writing up some of your own poems. You are well good at doing them!
What is Shabbos ? Is it the same as Shabbat? And what is it anyway?
ReplyDeleteEsther,
ReplyDeleteRachel is right, why not give it a go?
Heartless Zionist !!
ReplyDeleteAs I recall, this was where we first snogged at the graduation ball, in '97. Loved you then. Love you now. Even if you did almost break my arm .Always in love with my darling, beautiful Esther xxxxxxxx
ReplyDeleteOh, Esther, was always a party goer, dancer, passionate and gregarious .Still is.
ReplyDeleteA pause and a prayer for those who we have lost over the years, for those who are suffering at present, be it in mind or body. And for Shalom to this world. Let us pause and say Amen.
ReplyDeleteThe Jewish Sabbath, our day of reset, which we celebrate every week, over wine, food, bread, prayer and many other ways. Shabbat is the Hebrew transliteration. Shabbos is the Yiddish version of the same.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Esther is really prim and proper though :)
ReplyDeleteIf you don't receive Jesus Christ and become a born again Christian, then you will sadly burn in hellfire for all eternity (John 3:18,36; Revelation 20:15; 21:8). Perhaps you say with the man I mentioned earlier, “That born again stuff makes no sense to me.” Well, most people can't explain how a black cow can eat green grass, give white milk, and then it's turned into yellow butter—but they still eat it! My friend, you don't have to figure everything out to be saved, you just need to trust upon Jesus, the Christ, the only begotten Son of God.
ReplyDeleteBeing born-again means having He Who is the Beginning (Jesus Christ) born in you.” Revelation 1:8, “I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Isn't that beautiful. When a person is born-again, the Spirit of Christ comes to live in that person's body. “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Romans 8:9b). This birth comes about only through faith in the Son of God.
The GOOD NEWS (the Gospel) is that it is very EASY to have the second birth, i.e., a spiritual birth. God came down to this earth 2,000 years ago and took upon Himself the form of a man. That man was the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1,14; 1st Timothy 3:16). Literally, the GODHEAD became incarnate (Colossians 2:9—King James Bible).
Jesus was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). Jesus never sinned even once (2nd Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15). Jesus died, was buried and rose again after three days (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). Jesus shed His precious blood to pay for all our sins (Colossians 1:14; 1st Peter 1:18,19), and applied that blood to the Mercyseat in Heaven (Hebrews 9:12, 24-26). My friend, if you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the only begotten Son of God Who died, was buried and rose again for your sins, and you've made that your hope for Heaven by believing on His name, then you are a born-again child of God.
Jesus is the Savior Who paid for our sins. If you realize that you're a guilty sinner, then you simply need to believe on the Gospel of Jesus Christ to have your sins forgiven. Believe that Christ died and was resurrected, shedding His precious blood to wash away your sins. All God the Father asks is that we come for salvation by way of the cross upon which His Son Jesus Christ died.
Hi All,
ReplyDeleteLecha Dodi
'come my beloved, to met the bride and let us welcome the presence of Shabbat... observe and recall in a single utterance.. we were made to hear by God. God is one and God's name is one... in fame and splendor and praiseful song.'
Shabbat Shalom!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I31t6gE4i8k
Amen
ReplyDeleteThis sodomy enabling, pro-homosexual, anti-christ rubbish is never ending! How can you be Orthodox Jews and go against the Old Testament?? The Bible is clear -"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination."
ReplyDeleteLev. 18:22
And why was my previous comment deleted? Where is the freedom of speech here on this blog? There is none! We Christians are being self-censored. Why do you not wish to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ crucified?
ReplyDeleteLove this song! Thanks for sharing this with us, Sarah!
ReplyDeleteIf it was overt proselytising or cut n' paste from other sites or links to fundie Christians sites, then I'm not surprised it was deleted. Dave's quite generous with comments, but even he has his limit of patience.
ReplyDeleteNo-one is forcing you to log onto this site and read 'sodomy enabling, pro-homosexual,anti -christian' rubbish. Besides which where is the anti-christian bit, except in your own mind? True enough this is a Jewish authored blog, so we are not exactly going to be promoting Christianity here. Although all are welcome to post on this blog, disagree and put their own views across. We do have Christians post here and some who don't have any belief, so we aren't banning beliefs here.
ReplyDeleteAs for "how can you be Orthodox Jews who go against the old testament"
1. Our holy book is called the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible, the most important bit is called 'The Torah'; the written version is included in the Tanakh and the oral bit in The Talmud.Both are divine in origin. They are NOT, repeat NOT called 'the Old Testament' as to us Torah is very much contemporary and alive today. To us there is no "New" covenant to replace The Torah.
2. We are Orthodox Jews because we believe the Torah WAS given to us as people at Siani as a HISTORICAL fact, both oral and written versions are unalterable, divine and eternally binding on each and every Jew from now until the end of time. Whilst there is room for disagreement, difficulty or view on the text & interpretation & on what to take literally or as poetry, what to take metaphorically or allegorically, this does not take away any of the facts I've just listed. That is the difference between Orthodoxy and other forms of Judaism [at least to me it is]. Furthermore to me Orthodoxy is about a devotion to the G-d of the universe, the G-d of Israel, his people & Torah, whilst also loving ALL other people as your neighbour (i.e. non Jews).
3. I have often grappled with the issue of homosexuality in the Bible (that is our version and not yours) as well as the traditions and Halachah. I have various arguments about this, views of various Rabbis and I've gone into the texts of Leviticus in much detail. As and when I'm feeling 'brave' enough to do so, I will write an essay on all of this, starting with my realisation I was gay, my coming out, my changing views on expressing my sexuality, my views on what religion says about it ,throughout the years. I have started writing this, after going back to my previous blogs and it is now 3,000 words. I think it will be 6,000 when I've finished. I'll have to edit this down. Or not.Then if I feel it is worth sharing I will do so. I hate, really hate sharing a lot of personal stuff online, so I may not do so. But I have my reasons and I think they are valid.
This blog has sold out to the "Golden-Calf" (see Exodus, XXXII) of Zionism. Those who wanted to maintain their faith and continue the struggle against Zionism,True Torah Jews ,condemn the current Zionist atrocities in the Holy Land. We yearn for peace based upon mutual respect. We are convinced that this proposed mutual respect is doomed to fail as long as the Israeli state exists. We welcome its abolition in a peaceful manner.
ReplyDeleteHi Sis, we are all there to support you!
ReplyDeleteI don't have to justify a decision such as that to you, but Hannah's getting close in her remarks below.
ReplyDeleteHannah,
ReplyDeleteFantastic response. You share what you want to and not what other people demand of you.
Ah from one extreme to the other. Therefore deleted (be either or or not at all).
ReplyDeleteGood song. Thanks for putting on the thread.
ReplyDeleteShema Israel:
ReplyDeletehttp://image.aish.com/misc/11ShmaYisrael.mp3
Shabbat shalom!
Hannah,
ReplyDeleteI can only echo what David and Rachel have said. Take care, we all love you and Sarah to bits. The key thing is, when are you both able to say hello to me ?
Ruth
Hannah,
ReplyDeleteGo girl! And you're in control, don't forget that. Don't let people goad you into these discussions. Only do so if YOU want to talk about it. No-one has to justify their sexuality.
Thanks Peter /Rachel,
ReplyDeleteUm, could be book II as I'm already working on one project at present.
Well this is true darling, the summer of 1997, when we snogged passionately for about 10 minutes, oooh.
ReplyDeleteAnd I only 'almost broke your arm' - which I didn't- on the occasion you first tried to chat me up and groped my bum. You didn't know uncle Harry had served & had taught us in some basic self defence techniques.
Love you as well, my wonderfully sexy hubby of 14 years xxxx
Oh I loved a good dance. Still do, actually.
ReplyDeletePrim and proper?!?! Yeah I am, ain't I.
ReplyDeleteThis version is really good. Thanks for sharing with us Sarah.
ReplyDeleteBible and Truth,
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing that God says which says we should exclude and condemn gays ; the Christian community’s treatment of gay persons is in clear violation of what Jesus and the New Testament writers pointedly identified as one-half of God’s most important commandment: to love one’s neighbour as one’s self.Christian mistreatment of gay and lesbian people is morally indefensible, and must cease.
Heterosexual Christians are being unbiblical by using the 'clobber passages' as justification for applying absolute standards of morality to homosexual “sins” that they themselves are not tempted to commit, while at the same time accepting for themselves a standard of relative morality for those sins listed in the clobber passages that they do routinely commit.
Homosexuality is mentioned in only seven , yes seven of the Bible’s 31,173 verses. The fact that homosexuality is so rarely mentioned in the Bible should be an indication to us of the lack of importance ascribed it by the authors of the Bible. While the Bible is nearly silent on homosexuality, a great deal of its content is devoted to how a Christian should behave.
Throughout, the Bible, there is an insistence of fairness, equity, love, and the rejection of legalism over compassion. If heterosexual Christians are obligated to look to the Bible to determine the sinfulness of homosexual acts, how much greater is their obligation to look to the Bible to determine the sinfulness of their behavior toward gay persons, especially in light of the gay community’s call to them for justice?
Soph
Oh and this blog is in no-way shape or form 'anti-christ' or anti-Christian; it simply gives us a Jewish viewpoint & for me I find encouragement in reading the thoughts of a gay woman, who is about my age and her experiences in having a devout faith, but being openly gay at the same time.
ReplyDeleteNow, as Jesus was himself a Jew, we have much to learn from our elder brothers and sisters. Let us not forget that Christianity worships the God of Judaism,the God of the Jews, his son was and is a Jew...It is true that we are saved by Jesus Christ as no-one can reach the Father. But our Jewish friends do not have to reach the Father, because he is already with them and always has been with the children of Israel. I believe that the covenant that God made with the Jewish people through Moses remains eternally valid for them, that salvation is of the Jews & that we Christians have much to repent of in our terrible mistreatment and misdeeds towards God's people.
Esther you are so right. Hannah is under no obligation to justify herself to anyone.
ReplyDeleteHi Hannah,
ReplyDeleteBrilliant response there, thanks be to God for it ! (:
If calls to repentance offend you, so be it.
ReplyDeleteOnly GOD is love.
Your lover's and your love is not only SIN. It is FICTION.
Passing SSM will not make it any less FICTION.
We have evidence "homosexual acts" occur. We have no scientific evidence that "homosexuals" exist.
And also this will open the floodgates to polygamy, bestiality and God knows what other forms of perversion!! Homosexuality is unnatural and against the will of God!
ReplyDeleteAmerican Jews are behind the plot to destroy traditional marriage! So why is there any surprise about this pro- sodomy site giving us the benefits of homosexuality!!!
ReplyDeleteThe idea that gay marriage will lead to bestiality, polygamy, people marrying furniture, and so on, makes no sense.
ReplyDeleteGay people are attracted to people of the SAME sex.
Heterosexuals are attracted to people of a DIFFERENT sex.
What we are talking about here are people who can give consent to sex and to marry each other in a committed relationship.
Christians are supposed to be reflective of that love. My love for my partner is no fiction and the only fiction here is your obnoxious views. If homosexuals don't exist, why do you use Bible verses to condemn us?? You're caught in a tautology you can't answer.
ReplyDeleteSo what if Jews are in favour of Equal Marriage? You're racist as well as homophobic!
ReplyDeleteAnti-semitic rantings which are totally disgusting. I hope they get deleted.
ReplyDeleteGeorge,
ReplyDeleteDeleted that. And banned you.Goodbye.
Can you tone down the rhetoric a bit and be a bit more pleasant? It's not so much what you are writing, I don't mind polemical or outrageously laced dialogue, but to me I feel you are crossing a line. It as much as how you are writing it, as what you are writing. If you oppose SSM, can you do so in at least an intelligent fashion? Calling everything 'sinful' and comparisons way gaystapos (I hate, absolutely hate that comparison),makes you look like a nob, but more importantly the cause which you apparently support. That's not really my problem as such, but it must make others who have an intelligent take on this matter cringe. This isn't supposed to be a negative thread. So I've deleted this comment as well. Be constructive in the future. Thanks
ReplyDeleteAmen to this bro.
ReplyDeleteHannah,
ReplyDeleteExcellent response to the idiot above. Ignore him (or her). Not bothering about, as you know the truth in your own heart.
Shabbat Shalom!
Hannah,
ReplyDeleteFantabidosy reply there/ And wot everyone else said.
Sophie is also another babe of the situation!
Amen
ReplyDeleteWow, what a thread! Not sure how the dude can contribute. Must think. Will be back later.
ReplyDeleteHi Sophie,
ReplyDeleteThanks ever so much for your series of brilliant posts here. You are fab!
Thanks all of you. Whilst I can hold my own against silly fools like the person above, it is nice to know I'm not a total plonker!
ReplyDelete